Periodic Reporting for period 1 - DEMOQC (Democratizing quantum computing with 3D scalable and customizable quantum processors:)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2023-01-01 do 2023-12-31
Quantum computers have an enormous potential to transform industries ranging from chemistry to finance. The quantum industry keeps reaching new milestones, and end-user interest is surging. To truly unlock the power of quantum computing, we need to 1) increase the quality and quantity of qubits in a single processor, and 2) make these QPUs widely available.
1) Increase the quantity and quality of qubits
Current state of the art processors often rely on planar structures for control and readout. Nevertheless, this configuration is approaching scalability bottlenecks, given that the required number of lines increases quadratically, whereas the planar structure scales only linearly with the increasing qubit counts. Moreover, when increasing the number of qubits in a single processor, one will soon run into issues with yield. The yield of a qubit plane is dependent on the probability that all individual qubits on the plane function. The yield of the entire qubit plane thus decreases exponentially with the number of qubits on the plane.
2) Make QPUs widely available
To make useful progress, the field needs to find creative new approaches. This can only happen if as much parties as possible are working on this. However, progress is hindered by the fact that the production of quantum processing units (QPUs) is capital-intensive, and up until recently, only major players with significant resources are involved in manufacturing these processors, often keeping their developments proprietary. Additionally, their lack of economies of scale contributes to the high cost of QPUs. This situation impedes the overall progress toward the realization of quantum computers.
During the project we will work on solutions of both bottlenecks by developing a scalable architecture for our QPUs and improve the qubit yield. By focusing only on QPUs, we can make them commercially available at competitive pricing, work with partners to see what is needed to make quantum computing succeed and customize our QPUs accordingly. This push for democratization will make quantum start-ups more competitive and lower the entry barriers for new players.
1) Increase the quantity and quality of qubits
Current state of the art processors often rely on planar structures for control and readout. Nevertheless, this configuration is approaching scalability bottlenecks, given that the required number of lines increases quadratically, whereas the planar structure scales only linearly with the increasing qubit counts. Moreover, when increasing the number of qubits in a single processor, one will soon run into issues with yield. The yield of a qubit plane is dependent on the probability that all individual qubits on the plane function. The yield of the entire qubit plane thus decreases exponentially with the number of qubits on the plane.
2) Make QPUs widely available
To make useful progress, the field needs to find creative new approaches. This can only happen if as much parties as possible are working on this. However, progress is hindered by the fact that the production of quantum processing units (QPUs) is capital-intensive, and up until recently, only major players with significant resources are involved in manufacturing these processors, often keeping their developments proprietary. Additionally, their lack of economies of scale contributes to the high cost of QPUs. This situation impedes the overall progress toward the realization of quantum computers.
During the project we will work on solutions of both bottlenecks by developing a scalable architecture for our QPUs and improve the qubit yield. By focusing only on QPUs, we can make them commercially available at competitive pricing, work with partners to see what is needed to make quantum computing succeed and customize our QPUs accordingly. This push for democratization will make quantum start-ups more competitive and lower the entry barriers for new players.
In the first half of the project we have taken major steps in the development of our proprietary 3D architecture scaling technology. We researched and implemented qubit chip design components that will help to facilitate scalability. Additionally, we established processes aimed to significantly improve the yield.
In order to work towards customizable processors, we have initialised a platform to find potential partners in application-specific co-designed QPUs.
In order to work towards customizable processors, we have initialised a platform to find potential partners in application-specific co-designed QPUs.
In the next phase, we want to demonstrate our scaling technology, qubit design components and yield improvement in a fully integrated system. We would make this demonstrator commercially available, thereby adding to our existing planar QPU product portfolio. This could have a transformative impact on the market. Our innovation has the potential of removing the primary constraint in the industry, scarcity of scalable QPUs. Our QPUs can foster an ecosystem and help startups catch up with incumbents by developing their down- or up-stack components. This will ultimately accelerate the pace of development, reduce costs and benefit end-users.